Read an excerpt of Mercy, Bride of Idaho
American Mail-Order Brides #43

One woman bent on saving her family. One rancher determined to save his own heart. Is her love enough to save them all?

Read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Mercy Eaton has come to Idaho to marry the man of her father’s choosing in order to help her family make ends meet back home. She just knows it’ll all work out. That’s what she’s told her sister and her traveling companions all the way from Massachusetts to Owyhee County, Idaho. Then she meets her groom. He’s seventy years old. She nearly faints.

Quill Roderick has no intention of marrying. Ever. As far as he’s seen, women leave—first his mother, then his great-aunt, then his first flame. Quill sees no reason to open his heart again, especially to some mail-order bride his crazy old uncle brought for him. But Mercy tempts him like no other with her unruly long red hair, sunshine smile, and the most alluring eyes he’s ever seen. Can he keep his heart barricaded from this dangerous fireball, or are her kisses the master key needed to unlock his heart to a whole new world… Love.

Where are you from? I live in Seattle, Washington, USA, now but I’m from Owyhee County in Idaho, and a good share of my stories are set there.

A little about your self; i.e., your education, family life, etc.

I grew up in Owyhee County, Idaho, where most of my books are set. The Old West still lives on there, and it was great fun to ride horses all over the hills with my friends. But my favorite thing to do then and now was read. My husband and in live in the big city now. I miss my old stomping grounds, but I enjoy Seattle, too. Writing has brought me many friends, most of whom I’ve never met in person, but they are dear to me just the same.

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

Jacquie: I have two recent releases. The first is a western historical romance duet with Caroline Clemmons titled Mail-Order Tangle. She wrote the first book, Mail-Order Promise, and I wrote the second, Mail-Order Ruckus. You can read more about it at the Mail-Order Tangle blog.

The other release is my short story, Have Wand – Will Travel, in Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico, Volume 2. This is a crazy-fun story that’s a mash-up of Have Gun – Will Travel, Narnia, and The Princess Bride. The other stories in this anthology are excellent reading, too, and they’re a wonderful bunch of authors. I wrote about my story at the Prairie Rose Publications blog.

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

Jacquie: I started writing in 1996 for lack of anything else to do (I was sick) and have been at it ever since. Before that, I’d never given a single thought to being a writer.

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Jacquie: It sort of came gradually. Probably the first rejection started me thinking I could be a writer, because it was very encouraging.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

Jacquie: I dreamed it. That book will never see the light of day. It’s my learning book. But I still love the characters and the story. It’s a time-travel to the future and is somewhat of a mash-up of later movies: Fifth Element, Firefly, and Cowboys and Aliens.

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

Jacquie: All my stories are fast-paced and lighthearted. There are no messages. I love braincandy so that’s what I write.

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

Jacquie: For Mail-Order Tangle, it was a collaborative brainstorming session with Caroline Clemmons. Both Dickerson sisters were mail-order brides, and both encountered difficulties that neither of them were prepared to handle—a tangled up mess. Hence, Mail-Order Tangle.

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Jacquie: Just that love will prevail. I don’t write self-help books.

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?

Jacquie: Have Wand – Will Travel isn’t realistic at all. There’s a mage, a centaur-horse-unicorn shifter, griffins, a giant man-eating centipede, and beavers of extraordinary size. I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen any of those in real life. LOL. As for Mail-Order Tangle, both books have authentic settings and the mail-order bride business boomed in the Old West. Of course, fiction is larger than life, so while I’d say the stories are authentic and plausible, I wouldn’t call them realistic. But then, isn’t that the fun of it all?

Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Jacquie: I often include peripheral characters that are an amalgam of people I’ve known. That’s one of the things that make storytelling so fun. The main characters, though, are generally all from my imagination. As for experiences, I grew up on a dairy farm in a remote area that is still very similar to the Old West, so I have a wealth of incidents that happened to me or to my friends from which I can and do draw.

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?

Jacquie: More than individual books, just the act of reading obsessively shaped me more than anything. Especially my backside, although now I can read my Kindle while on my exercise bicycle. Yes, I have favorite books—my favorite of all time is The King Must Die by Mary Renault. It would be interesting to re-read that book because I haven’t read it since I started writing, so I might have a different perspective after having learned the craft.

Fiona: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Jacquie: Many authors have helped me over the years. Gerri Russell, Karen Harbaugh, Stella Cameron, Judith Laik, and my critique partners, Ann Charles and Wendy Delaney. I’ve also learned a lot from Caroline Clemmons. After I’d written a couple books, I read one of hers and loved it. I analyzed that book for plot and structure, so I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. You can just imagine how delighted I was to work with her!

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Jacquie: I’m just getting ready to start Outlaw Ranger by James Reasoner.

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Jacquie: All the time. Isn’t that the greatest thing about the new publishing landscape? I’ve found some really talented writers whose works would never have been published five years ago. Two brand new authors are Kathleen Rice Adams and Kirsten Lynn, both of whom are very gifted.

Fiona: What are your current projects?

Jacquie: I’m writing the first chapter for the sixteenth volume of Wolf Creek (all the authors write under the house name Ford Fargo), also the second story of my Muleskinners series, No Small Tempest, and the fifth book of my Hearts of Owyhee series, Much Ado About Mustangs. Plus I have some other works in the stewpot.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Jacquie: I can’t. There isn’t just one. I’ve been blessed with many, many people who’ve helped me every step of the way. Currently, Western Fictioneers, Prairie Rose Publications, and dozens of friends are lending me the strength and motivation to carry on.

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Jacquie: Yes. I want to write more books, but I can’t do that if I don’t sell books, so writing morphs into a career whether you planned it or not. That said, being an author requires all the same tools that any other business owner needs. Only thing is, most of us would rather be writing than marketing or bookkeeping.

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Jacquie: Anything can be improved, but once it’s published, I get amnesia; otherwise, I’d worry it to death and that’s certainly not productive. So I guess the answer would be no.

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Jacquie: It just happened. My mother wanted to be a writer and she wanted me to be one, too. That’s why I did just about anything else. But once I started writing, the bug bit me and here I am.

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Jacquie: This is an excerpt from Mail-Order Ruckus, my story in Mail-Order Tangle. This is where the hero, Matt Johanssen, first sees Laura Dickerson, the heroine. Just before that, his uncle had given him a new puppy.

Matt wondered if this was some crazy scheme of Kage’s to get him leg-shackled. If so, it wasn’t going to work. He vowed to have words with his cousin next time they met up, and those words might be followed by a little tap to the nose.

The short man in a green striped suit stood beside Miss Dickerson and called out an invitation to sign up. He explained that only those men on the roster would be allowed to court the women. Of course, it cost ten dollars to sign up.

Helga pushed him forward. “Go ahead, Matt, sign up.”

“Not a way in the world.” He couldn’t believe Miss Dickerson stood with a bunch of husband-hunters. Laura was a decent, beautiful woman who’d make any man a fine wife. She didn’t have to resort to antics such as this. She deserved to be courted proper, not auctioned off on the balcony of the Idaho Hotel.

Warmth trailed from his heart and pooled in his waistband.

Puppy pee.

* * *

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Jacquie: Description and transitions—all the housekeeping you have to do to get from one scene to the next. Dialogue comes easy. Sometimes it’s difficult to think of unique situations, or unique ways to turn ordinary situations to something usable.

Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Jacquie: Caroline Clemmons is a favorite, as I already mentioned, but honestly, I can’t pick just one. There are so many who have amazing bodies of work. Robert Randisi has written over 700 books and they’re all good; James Reasoner has written over 300 and they’re all good. I can’t even whittle it down to my top ten. Top fifty might be doable.

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

Jacquie: Not really. Most of my books are set in Owyhee County, Idaho, and I go back there as often as I can. Sleight of Heart was set in Colorado where I rode the narrow-gauge steam train from Silverton to Durango, which plays heavily in the book. But I’ve written others that were set in places I’ve never been. Google Earth helps a lot.

Fiona: Who designed the covers?

Jacquie: Dar Albert designed the cover for MAIL-ORDER TANGLE. Livia Washburn Reasoner designed the cover for Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico (both volumes).

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Jacquie: The grind. I love dreaming up the characters and the situation. Plotting is fun. But writing a book is a marathon and I have a short attention span. It’s really hard to stay on task when there are so many other stories that are waiting to be fleshed out.

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Jacquie: I always learn something from every book, novella, or short story because I do a lot of research. History books tell you about battles and politics, but they’re sorely lacking on daily life. What does an average farmer do from dawn to dusk? I grew up on a farm so I already knew that, but it’s an example. In Much Ado About Marshals, I learned quite a lot about patent medicines. In Much Ado About Madams, I researched Old West brothels. For Sleight of Heart, I had to learn about poker in 1883—the rules were different then, and so were the cards. The mail-order bride business wasn’t straightforward, either. There were many different schemes and I had to find one that fit. In every book, I learn more about the craft of writing and what works or doesn’t work for me.

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Jacquie: I used to have a lot of advice but the more I write, the less advice I have to give. Writers need to read, though. That’s the one thing that gets shoved by the wayside when you’re so busy writing your own stories.

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Fiona: Is there one person past or present you would like to meet and why?

Jacquie: I’d like to meet my ancestor, Gamellus de Alsop, who was given the township of Alsop-en-le-Dale in Derbyshire by one of William’s nobles, Henry de Ferrers. Gamellus fought in the Battle of Hastings and it would be intriguing to listen to his story.

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why?

Jacquie: She made us laugh.

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

Jacquie: I like to watch baseball and rodeo. I also like work Sudoku puzzles, and of course, I love reading.

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

Jacquie: I don’t watch TV—can’t abide all the commercials. Besides, if I like a series, it’s a sure-fire indication that the show will be cancelled. Favorite films are Apple Dumpling Gang, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Outlaw Josey Wales—mostly westerns and romcoms.

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

Jacquie: Strawberry shortcake/ jewel colors/ rock, country

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

Jacquie: I did a lot of things before I started writing—campaign manager, deli clerk, office manager, bookkeeper, software developer, and I even milked cows. But what I love to do is photography.

The Chinese Moon Festival is an ancient festival over 3,000 years old, and is celebrated in autumn, the 15th moon day of the month of the Chicken. It’s the night of the full moon, of abundance, the festival to honor family ties and romantic relationships. Families, even those divided by oceans, try to come together during this time. But if a family or a couple is unable to unite, separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, they can still share the moon on that night and be together.

Legends

There are four legends primarily associated with the Moon Festival: the story of the lady, Chang Er (or Chang’e); of the man, Wu Kang; of the hare, Jade Rabbit; and of the Moon Cake.

Chang Er was the wife of Hou Yi, who shot down nine of the ten suns that were scorching the earth. As a reward, Hou Yi was given the elixir of immortality for himself and his wife. When villains tried to steal it, they killed Hou Yi, and Chang Er swallowed the elixir so the bad guys wouldn’t get it. Turned immortal, she flew to the moon, where she lives to this day. There are many versions of this story, one of the nicest told on Laputan Logic, where links to several other versions are given as well.

Wu Kang‘s story is also about immortality. He was a man who sought challenges, and hopped from job to job to find new adventures, until he decided the greatest adventure of all would be immortality. He headed for the mountains to study under an immortal. Not one area of study could hold Wu Kang’s interest, though, so the immortal got frustrated and told Wu Kang to chop down the cassie tree, and he couldn’t return to earth until he did. But the cassie tree grew back to its full size if it wasn’t felled by sundown. Since the job couldn’t hold his attention, Wu Kang never did keep on task to fell the tree in one day, so to this day, he’s still on the moon, chopping on the cassie tree.

The Hare didn’t fare so well, but is well-remembered. A hungry old man needs food. A monkey, an otter, and a fox, hoping to do a good deed, each offer the man some food, but the hare, knowing he has nothing to offer but himself, throws himself into the fire and cooks himself. The old man was really a monk, and in gratitude, gave the Jade Rabbit immortality on the moon, where he serves Chang Er even now.

Moon Cakes are the newest legend of the Moon Festival. It is said that in the 14th Century, when the Chinese were ruled by the Mongols and assembly was illegal, that those who fomented revolution passed their plans and instructions to the people inside moon cakes. On the night of the festival, the people revolted and thus began the Ming Dynasty.

Celebration

The festival is at harvest time, a time of bounty, and celebrated by a family feast similar in spirit to the modern Thanksgivings of Canada and the USA. Moon cakes, filled with bean paste, meat, lotus seeds, or a few other popular foods, are both given and traded. It’s a time filled with joy. and the children love getting to stay up until the wee hours during the lantern parade–and are especially delighted if they get to carry a lantern in it.

I’m using the Chinese Moon Festival as a ticking clock in my novella, “Faery Hot Dragon.” It’s a time for lovers to sit on hilltops gazing a the moon. And perhaps other things. A perfect opportunity for a romance novel!

Hi everybody! This week I’m giving away a romance themed gift bag, with two ways to be entered to win.

All you have to do to for your chance to win is buy a copy of Puppy Love, or post this contest on your blog, myspace, facebook, etc. If you buy a book AND blog this contest, you’ll get two entries.

If you buy the book, just email a copy of your purchase receipt to janejane07 @ gmail . com (take out the spaces). If you blog the contest, leave me the link in comments. That’s it! You’ll then beentered to win a gift bag full of goodies:

Four DVD movies-The Phantom of the Opera (Gerard Butler), Music and Lyrics (Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ernie Lively), and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Sandra Bullock).

An adorable furry stuffed animal

Sweet Treats-Chocolate, anyone?

Ascented candle

Two bags of microwave popcorn-to munch while you watch the movies

A cute little striped notebook

A Pair of fuzzy socks

And maybe a couple other extras that I pick up along the way.

The contest ends March 23 at midnight EST time; I’ll announce a winner on Tuesday, March 24.

Thesnow blows nearly sideways as it blankets the range. Ranch hands hunkerdown in their saddles, scarves over their ears and their Stetsonsprotecting them from the fierce wind. They dream of a warm fire and hotbuttered rum. But they have livestock to save from freezing andstarvation, so they ride on.

It’s Christmas onthe open range. Miserable for man and beast. But it isn’t just anotherday at the office, so to speak. They whittle gifts for one another,sing a few carols as they sit around the campfire warming their handsand feet. Cook gives them a hot meal–the finest beans with maybe somemeat thrown in. And with a little luck, Cook would bake an apple pie.Life couldn’t be better and they thank their lucky stars for a soundhorse and solid tack.

(Yes, I know these cattle are a modern breed and very fat, but it’s the only picture I could find.)

Chanukkah in the mines

It’s the 1860’s in Silver City, Idaho.The Festival of Lights has been celebrated in the West since thebeginning of frontier settlement, but not like their counterparts backEast who have a warm and dry place to worship with their families. Amenorah can be lit anywhere, and the Jewish silver miners do just that.They pray, play a little dreidel, and think a lot of home.

Thepicture to the left is the oldest continuously used synagogue west ofthe Mississippi. It’s located in Boise, Idaho, and was built in 1896 bythe Beth Israel congregation, now called the Ahavath Beth Israel congregation. Very beautiful.

Christmas on the farm

Everyonehas chores to do every day. Cows needs milked, livestock needs wateredand fed, eggs need gathered, and the barnyard needs to be tidied (touse a gentile term). So after the chores are done, the family cangather together and celebrate Christmaswith what meager resources they have. If they don’t have evergreentrees to spare, they might decorate a sagebrush with popcorn andberries. They make ornaments with precious bits of paper and scraps ofcloth. Peach tins make nice ornaments, too, and they shine in thefirelight.

1876 Christmas, Harper’s Weekly

Theircelebration might be more humble than those in the eastern cities, butthey have a grand time, nevertheless. The women cook for days. They’reresourceful and whatever they have available will do for a fine pie orstew. The Christmas feast could consist of chicken, venison, or maybe aham, along with homemade rolls, freshly churned butter, potatoes andgravy, and pies–maybe one made with dried apples and a vinegar pie.Each family member has made modest gifts for the others and even thesmallest child has labored over precious gifts–maybe a drawing or adoll made of sticks. They sing carols, maybe read the Bible, and ifthey’re close enough to town, maybe even go to church.

For mostChristian families, Christmas is a day for family togetherness and toshow their love and appreciation for one another, as well ascelebrating the religious aspect of the holy day.

Christmas for Outlaws, Gunslingers, and Cyprians

Thesaloon owner brings small gifts for the working ladies, the bartender,the resident gambler, and a few of the regulars. A few cowpunchersbring gifts for their favorite girl. They might have a nice mealtogether before they open for business, and even then, the customersare few. It’s one night they can relax.